An event was held in Tokyo on September 23rd to announce new information about the anime "Steel Ball Run: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," based on "Steel Ball Run," the seventh part of Hirohiko Araki's popular manga series "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure." The main cast members who were announced to appear were Shogo Sakata as Johnny Joestar, Yohei Azakami as Gyro Zeppeli, Kaito Ishikawa as Diego Brando, Rie Takahashi as Lucy Steel, and Kenta Miyake as Steven Steel. Each spoke passionately about their roles.
Each cast member was selected after an audition. Sakata said he went to the audition on the advice of his manager, who is a big fan of the "JoJo" series. "I read the original work thoroughly myself, but having a big fan watch my performance helped me improve the accuracy of my performance. In the studio audition, there was a line called 'OraOra,' and I was humming it from the time I woke up until I went to the bath (before the audition)."
Azagami said he has been a fan of the "JoJo" series for a long time, and revealed, "I went into the audition feeling both pressured and excited that this time had finally come." He also revealed that he had auditioned for roles other than Gyro Zeppeli, and expressed his joy, saying, "I reread the original manga from each character's perspective and raced for about three or four weeks. I'm happy to finally be at the starting point."
Ishikawa appeared in the same series' "Golden Wind," and said, "At that time, I was taught a kind of JoJo flavor for hitting the sounds of 'JoJo,' so I used that as a hint when auditioning for Diego. Diego has a line that goes, 'Muda Muda Muda,' and in the recording of 'JoJo,' for example, if the script has 16 instances of 'Muda,' there's a rule that you have to say it 16 times. At the audition, there were a lot of 'Muda,' so I tried my best, but I was so nervous that I couldn't keep my breath. The staff told me, 'It's just an audition, so you don't have to try hard,' but I said, 'Let me try my best,' and did my best."
Takahashi recalled, "The audition script was packed with scenes that expressed all the emotions. I felt they were really looking for me (for the role of Lucy Steele), so I gave it my all."
Miyake plays Muhammad Avdol in "Stardust Crusaders," and said with a smile, "I failed terribly at that audition. I could only produce one-tenth of my usual voice. This time, my voice came out just fine. I was feeling refreshed and refreshed when I received the news that I would be playing the role of Steven. I was able to open the show on a refreshing and refreshing note."
Regarding Muhammad Avdol, Miyake said, "Honestly, I still love him. Even if I'm standing here today as Stephen Steele, he's still there somewhere," revealing his thoughts, "So, to be honest, I was unsure whether I should really play the role of Stephen Steele." "But in my heart, that guy who represents the flame of beginnings said, 'This is a world that my best friend's daughter might have risked her life to connect. Maybe that's a possibility. So why not do the voice?' It's selfish, but that's what I thought. Because he pushed me forward, the flame of beginnings never went out until the very end. I think that's why I'm here today."
Finally, Sakata said, "After reading the original work, I have been thinking hard about what it means for Johnny to start walking. I think that when the anime is released and everyone watches it, we will all understand this together. I will do my best in the upcoming races, shouting at the top of my lungs, together with Azagami-san and all the staff," and called out, "Let's all run through the race together!"
"Steel Ball Run" is set in late 19th century America and depicts the first ever transcontinental horse race in human history (the SBR Race). Johnny Joestar, a former genius jockey who is now partially paralyzed, teams up with the mysterious outlaw Gyro Zeppeli and embarks on a grueling adventure (race).
The anime will be directed by Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi, who worked on "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind," with Toshiyuki Kato, who directed "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean," serving as series director. Yasuko Kobayashi, who has worked on all anime series, will be in charge of series composition. It will be produced by David Production. It will be released on Netflix in 2026.
